Gators Slam Door on 'Dores

Saturday, October 9

Gainesville, Fla.

12 PM

Florida Gators

4-2 , 2-2

Vanderbilt

2-4 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Vanderbilt

Florida

Wide receiver Trent Whittemore (14) gets a celebratory embrace from fellow wideout Justin Shorter after catching a 9-yard touchdown from Emory Jones late in the first half of Saturday's 42-0 homecoming shutout of Vanderbilt.

Gators Slam Door on 'Dores

Saturday, October 9, 2021 | Football, Chris Harry

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Shutting out Vanderbilt will go only so far to quell any restlessness among the masses, but it beats the ever-loving Commodore out of the alternative.

Fourth-year junior quarterback Emory Jones passed for 273 yards and a career-high four touchdowns Saturday afternoon, as the 20th-ranked Gators made standard homecoming work of Vandy in their Southeastern Conference meeting at Spurrier/Florida Field. Jones had a couple short touchdown tosses in the first half and two longer ones in the second during a 21-point onslaught over the first seven-plus minutes of the third quarter that made the outcome academic.

A week after the disappointing loss at Kentucky, the Gators (4-2, 2-2) managed to shake off any hangover and do mostly what they were supposed to do against an undermanned opponent like the Commodores (2-4, 0-2). Make that eight straight wins over Vandy, as well as 30 of the last 31, and a second consecutive home shutout in the series. UF blanked Vandy here 56-0 on Nov. 9, 2019.

This time, the Gators rolled up 479 yards of total offense and those three consecutive scoring drives to start the second half, with Jones, who completed 14 of his 22 attempts, connecting on "explosive" pass completions of 32, 51, 61, 47 and 25 yards over the course of the afternoon. But there were also enough missed assignments, penalties and lapses on defense — Vandy nearly doubled UF in first-half time of possession and had almost as many yards at intermission — to keep Coach Dan Mullen on edge.

**Emory Jones** completed 14 of 22 passes for a career-high 273 yards and four touchdowns. (Photo: **Tim Casey**/UAA Communications)

"I love our team. I love the attitude of our team," Mullen said. "We've got to do a better job coaching some things up, get it cleaned up and make sure the exactness of what we want is being executed on game day. But the team certainly had a great attitude all week and I love the guys in the locker room and their mindset. It's our job as coaches to kind of make sure that the intensity level every snap of the game is where it needs to be."

It kind of looked to start that way, as UF wasted no time striking first. After forcing a Vandy three-and-out, the Gators finished a seven-play, 78-yard drive that took just over two minutes. The two big hitters: Jones to Trent Whittemore for 32 yards up the right sideline and tailback Nay'Quan Wright off right tackle and through a couple defenders for a 34-yard run to the 1, where Dameon Pierce punched it in for a 7-0 edge at 11:16.

The Commodores aided the Gators' second score; specifically, punter Harrison Smith, whose 6-yard shank put UF in business at the Vandy 49. A defensive pass interference call and 16-run by Jones on fourth-and-1 set up Jones' play-action, pseudo-jump pass touchdown lob of five yards to Ja'Quavion Fraziars to go up 14-0 less than 11 minutes in.

"I'm telling you, it's all starting to make sense for him," Wright said of Jones.

Enter backup quarterback Anthony Richardson, for his scripted third series appearance. On his first snap, Richardson play-faked and under pressure from blitzing linebacker Brayden DeVault-Smith threw cross-field into double coverage looking for tight end Keon Zipperer. The ball was intercepted by linebacker Elijah McAllister at the Vandy 35.

Back-to-back personal fouls on the UF defense (first on linebacker Mohamoud Diabate, then against defensive back Tre'Vez Johnson, who was ejected for targeting) put the Commodores at the Florida 16. But Vandy returned the personal-foul favor and was forced to send out Joseph Bulovas for a 39-yard field goal. Bulovas bounced the kick off the left upright. For the Commodores, that would be a pattern.

Back came Richardson for the next series. No turnover this time, but a three-and-out, thanks to a neutral-zone infraction penalty that nullified a Richardson run for a first down. It was the second straight week Richardson, the best athlete on the team, was without the kind of loud, splashy play the likes of which he showed (in spectacular fashion) the first two games of the season before injuring his hamstring.

"All quarterbacks have a learning curve," Mullen said. "There's development that goes into it. Anthony works his tail off and has a great approach. He's going to get opportunities and continue to improve."

The Commodores took Richardson's punted series and went 53 yards in 14 plays, converting two third downs and a fourth, but again had to call on Bulovas, this time from 41 yards. This time, it was wide left.

Wideout **Jacob Copeland** (1) runs through a handful of Vandy defenders for his 25-yard touchdown in third quarter. (Photo: **Courtney Culbreath**/UAA Communications)

Later in the period, Vandy had another promising drive into UF territory that ended when quarterback Ken Seals, who was 22-for-42 for 192 yards and two interceptions, feeling pressure from Brenton Cox Jr., under threw his receiver and was picked off by defensive tackle Daquan Newkirk dropping into coverage. On first down, Jones play-faked to Wright into the line, then touch-passed a throw to Wright down the middle of the field that went for 51 yards to the Vandy 9. On third and goal, Jones rolled left and against his body stuck a pass in the back left corner of the end that Whittemore cradled for a 9-yard TD and 21-0 lead inside four minutes to go in the quarter.

"That late one really helped us," Jones said.

And the Gators probably thought the Commodores' ensuing possession made Mullen feel more at ease, as well. A couple third-down conversions through the air, including a 29-yard strike from Seals to Cam Johnson to the UF 1, put the Commodores on the goal line inside a minute to play before halftime. On fourth down from the 2 — and after back-to-back Florida timeouts — Seals hit Chris Pierce Jr. who skied over cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. to haul in what was initially called a touchdown. After a review, officials ruled the ball touched the ground as Pierce was careening out of bounds and did not complete the play, thus keeping the shutout intact.

Into the locker room, the Gators went. Into the team's backside Mullen went.

"He told us even though they didn't score points, it wasn't our brand of football," said defensive back Rashad Torrence II, who had 15 tackles, including 1.5 for loss on the day. "We took it to heart. It was kind of a jab. We went out in the second half and did our job."

Three touchdowns on Florida's first three possessions of the second half — including a pair of scoring strikes from Jones, with another set up by an interception by Trey Dean III — the scoreboard showed 42-0 and all was much better in the Gator world. But not perfect, of course. Never is.

Defensive back **Trey Dean III** (0) returns a second-half interception that set up a score. (Photo: **Courtney Culbreath**/UAA Communications)

Jones lofted a 61-yard scoring pass to Pierce, then got a 25-yarder on some nice yards-after-catch running from Jacob Copeland. Pierce's 1-yard scoring run with 8:46 left in the third quarter capped the scoring.

The UF defense, meanwhile, held the Commodores to minus-11 yards rushing in the second half. And, of course, no points.

"[Coaches] told us, 'They don't get nothing!' [in the second half]," defensive tackle Antwaun Powell said. "It's about building that team mindset that we have to go out every time, from the first play to the last, we have to work harder as a team."